Saturday, October 29, 2016

100 days until the kick-off. In 100 days St. Moritz, will host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2017.The 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz are scheduled from February 6-19. The event is expected to showcase athletes from over 70 nations, along with an onsite media and broadcast entourage of approximately 1,500 members. An international television audience approaching 750 million people will watch the two weeks of racing and festivities.The Alpine World Ski Championships is the most important event in alpine ski racing and are held every two years. For Engadiners St. Moritz 2017 is already the fifth major event of its kind.St Moritz has hosted the Championships on four previous occasions since first staging them in 1934. After two Olympic Winter Games – the only ones ever held in Switzerland – and four Alpine World Ski Championships (1934, 1948, 1974 and 2003), St. Moritz is looking to run in 2017 the World Ski Championships for a fifth time – a feat that knows no equal elsewhere in the world, and which but serves to confirm the Engadiners' standing at the forefront of international winter tourism.

St. Moritz is more than just a holiday resort. It was also the birthplace of Alpine winter holidays in 1864. Nevertheless, St. Moritz first became famous thanks to its mineral springs, which were discovered 3,000 years ago and established the town as a summer spa resort early on.St. Moritz, lies on the south side of the Alps, in the Upper Engadine Valley, at an elevation of 1,856 m, boasts plenty of sunny days. It was exactly this sun that was legally protected as the emblem of St. Moritz in 1930. St. Moritz was often ahead of the times - for example, the first electric light went on at Christmastime in 1878, the first golf tournament in the Alps took place here, in 1889 and one of the first ski lifts in Switzerland began running in 1935.

St Moritz is Switzerland's most famous exclusive winter resort: glitzy, expensive, and fashionable. Few ski destinations can claim even one five-star hotel, but this sunny Swiss lakeside resort boasts five, including the all-suites Carlton, located in Tsar Nicolai II’s former vacation house. St. Moritz Dorf in the hillside over the lake includes Via Serlas’s jet-set shooping "luxury mile", with boutiques like Emilio Pucci, Gucci, Chanel or jewelleries like Bucherer, Cartier or Chopard. St. Moritz Bad, at the lake’s foot, hides local gems among its shops, restaurants and hotels.The valley offers nine ski areas accessed with a single ski pass. Several of them are connected by lifts; the rest are connected by bus. The Engadine Ski Paradise: St. Moritz-Corviglia, Corvatsch, Diavolezza are synonymous with breathtaking and unforgettable skiing experiences. 60 modern transportation facilities open up on 350 km of snow covered runs at altitudes from 1,800 to 3,300 metres above sea level of slopes in nine different skiing areas with 37 mountain restaurants.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Based on the crowdfunding principle, the popular alpine resort of Saas-Fee will offer the low-cost season passes only if enough people reserve them in advance.
From now until November 27th winter sports fans can book their discount WinterCard Saas-Fee online at we-make-it-happen.ch.
If 99,999 skiers and snowboarders order a season pass before 27 November 2016, Saas-Fee will offer the following mega-deal:

One-year season pass for just CHF 222

Three-year season pass for just CHF 622

Fifteen-year season pass for just CHF 2,999

The offer is an 80 percent discount on regular season passes for Saas-Fee/Saas-Almagell – which, if the target isn’t achieved, will cost 1,050 francs – and is cheaper than a four-day ski pass for the area. A regular day pass costs CHF 72.

With a season ski pass you can take to the slopes whenever you wish – from December 3rd right through to April 22nd.
The idea is as simple as it is genius: crowdfunding under the motto "we make it happen". When many members of a community act together, they can achieve things that would never be possible alone.
And with a super cheap ski pass, the fun can now last even longer. Plus, all community members can enjoy additional special offers and discounts to make every day you spend surrounded by our 18 impressive 4,000-metre peaks an unforgettable and uniquely affordable experience.
But the best part is: there is absolutely no risk involved for campaign participants, as you only pay if the target of 99,999 season ticket orders is reached.
"Alpine tourism is facing a challenge due to an imbalance of supply and demand. In many areas, the surplus of resorts means that costs can no longer be covered. Saas-Fee wants to solve the problem by introducing a revolutionary price concept", a spokeperson for Saas-Fee said.
"Our guests tend to stay for an average of four days" added Pascal Schär, head of Saas-Fee’s marketing department. "We want to make the price attractive for these customers. A four-day ski pass currently costs 259 francs; with the WinterCard Saas-Fee they can ski for less than that and, more importantly, for the whole winter".

Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, one of the most scenically beautiful and diverse valleys in the Valais and in the Alps. This car-free village lies on a high plateau 1800 metres above sea level, nestling amongst the icy dome of the Allalinhorn and the rocky group of the Mischabel chain. Their typical old Valais wooden houses create the perfect setting for winter holidays, deserving of its name “Pearl of the Alps”.
In 2012 the results of a questionnaire for "Best ski resort" with over 40‘000 guests were presented. Saas-Fee / Saastal was voted best Swiss ski Resort. Internationally it was even voted to second rank out of 55 top ski destinations in Austria, Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland. In terms of snow reliability, slope preparation and coziness, Saas-Fee/Saastal hit top status.

With more than 115 km of slopes, and 300 days of sun per year, the car-free village of Saas-Fee with one of the highest-altitude ski areas in Europe is the perfect winter sports destination.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

After an exciting second run, Alexis Pinturault is the winner of the opening Giant slalom in Sölden.
Alexis Pinturault already proved it last season, and he will be one of the very best GS-racers this season again. He came back strong from the summer break, and won both runs to end the race with a 0.70 second lead over his closest contender Marcel Hirscher. He grabbed his 16th World Cup win and set the tone for the season to come in the process. Felix Neureuther rounded out the podium and crossed the finish line 1.37 seconds off of Pinturault’s pace.

"In the beginning, you never know where you are", Pinturault said. "You never know if you are skiing fast or not and just after Soelden, you can see where you are more or less. One thing that is easy in skiing is that there is never strategy, you just have to push and push even harder for the second run".
The duel between Pinturault and Marcel Hirscher is going to be very interesting to follow this season. Challenged by Pinturault who was leading after the first run, the five-times Overall World Cup winner made a mistake in the middle of the second run but he pushed even harder at the bottom and was able to earn second place.
"I'm super happy because the pressure is definitely on my shoulders, especially at the first race of the season", Hirscher said. "If I am skiing good, everything is fine, but if I am skiing bad, it is never fun so I am super happy and a lot of pressure has gone away".
Germany’s Felix Neureuther can also be proud of his season start in Giant Slalom. After several years with chronical back pain, that prevented him to claim the absolute top spots on a regular basis in GS, this podium placement will give him lots of confidence for the season to come.
"For me, a perfect start to the season", Neureuther said. "Being here on the podium is really something special for me, especially in giant slalom. I think I did two very solid runs today without too many mistakes. There's still some work ahead of us, Alexis and Marcel were the two dominating guys today so we'll try to close the gap in the next weeks".

Slightly changing light conditions marked the first part of the second run, and some athletes were able to take advantage of this and laid down fast runs. Benedikt Staubitzer (GER) for example, qualified for second run by a narrow margin before ending 12th of the final standings and Luca De Alprandini (ITA) stayed in the leaderbox until the five-times World Champion Ted Ligety took over the lead. But even though Ligety had an impressive pace in the second run, which is promising for the future as he’s just coming back after he tore his ACL in January, he couldn’t keep up with the fastest racers of the day.

Sölden again offered an outstanding World Cup Opening, with more than 30,000 spectators' during the week-end, a perfectly prepared race slope and a motivated and skilled organising committee. The tyroler venue opened the season in the best possible way.After this exciting conclusion to the World Cup’s opening weekend, the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup tour will head to Levi (Finland) for a Men's and a Ladies Slalom.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Lara Gut of Switzerland kicked off the 2016/17 FIS Audi Alpine World Cup tour with a commanding giant slalom victory, the second of her career at the Soelden opener.

Lara Gut led after the first run by 1.42 seconds and skied nearly a flawless second run to finish ahead of USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin by 1.44 seconds. Marta Bassino (ITA) rounded out the podium 1.93 off the pace, taking her first-ever giant slalom top-three finish.

Lara Gut admitted she was a little nervous heading into the first race of the season as the defending 2016 overall title winner, but she took the advice of Marcel Hirscher and her support team.
"It’s always special in Sölden, and you know it’s my first time coming as an overall winner", said Gut after the run. "I had a tough time this morning, I was just thinking all the time today – like Marcel Hirscher told me yesterday just to ski. My team exactly told me the same. So I tried just not to think and ski".
After laying down a significant lead over the field in the first run, Gut was under some pressure to maintain her lead.

"Finally, this morning, I was just like, ‘It’s a beautiful day. I love the slope. I have to enjoy that.’ And yeah, this was the key. I just tried to ski. And sometimes it’s horrible, You get in the race and start thinking instead of just skiing, but yeah, I’m happy and I’m glad I had a fast first run because the second one was a fight".
Mikaela Shiffrin, who started the race outside of the top seed in bib 16, gave chase in the second run but couldn't quite catch Gut. Still, she was proud of her fight in the race but still feels she has more to give.

"I definitely like second. I like first better, but it is nice to start off on this foot and it was really a tough day for a lot of girls, I think", she reasoned. "Lara was the only one who really skied as hard as she could and I’m happy with where I’m at. I took more risks than I ever have in a GS, but I can do better. I can do more and better".
Securing her career first podium finish in third place was 20-year-old Italian Marta Bassino whose teammates ran out to the finish area to congratulate her. She sat in third place after the first run and was able to hold onto the podium position.

"I’m so excited, and it’s the first podium. I’m so happy, it’s like a dream", Bassino exclaimed.

Friday, October 21, 2016

For the third time in the past four years, a majority of members of the Association Internationale des Journalistes de Ski (AIJS) decided to elect Austria’s Marcel Hirscher as the recipient of the ‘Skieur d’Or- Trophy Serge Lang’ Award presented by Milka at Sölden on Thursday.Members of the International Association of the Ski Journalists also awarded many votes to Lara Gut, the first Swiss woman able to clinch the overall World Cup title since slalom star Vreni Schneider in 1995, as well as to Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal and his young teammate Henrik Kristoffersen. Only a few champion so far were honored three times by AIJS in past decades – among them Austria’s skiing legend Karl Schranz, all-time great Ingemar Stenmark from Sweden, Italy’s superstar Alberto Tomba or Swiss Ace Pirmin Zurbriggen who all achieved impressive performances during their best years on the tour."It’s surely not a great surprise to see Marcel receiving again a majority of vote considering his fantastic past season marked by strong performances in the technical events and foremost his surprising win in Super-G at Beaver Creek, he is doing a great job to promote our sport around the globe", said AIJS Vice-President Patrick Lang in charge of the ‘Skieur d’Or’ for over fifteen years now.

"Everyone within the World Cup tour is impressed by his passion and his dedication for alpine ski racing. He works really very hard on and off the snow fields, I guess only a few people in his entourage really know how intensively his is training to remain atop of his sport", added Lang. "There are only a few examples in the history of our sport of role models being so fully focused and successful in their best events – and this winter after winter. I also like his readiness to take risks racing in other specialties than slalom and giant slalom to clinch again the big crystal globe, so I was very proud of him when I saw him winning that challenging Super-G race at Beaver Creek a year ago. It was quite a spectacular achievement that may equal his triumph there in the Alpine combined of the 2015 FIS Ski World Championships. We all wish him great luck for another successful season this winter and more interesting stories with him".

Last season, Marcel Hirscher completed the Herculean feat of winning an amazing fifth-straight Overall Title. Hirscher finished the season with an impressive 20 podiums, including eight victories on the season.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The 2016-2017 season marks the 50th anniversary of the FIS Alpine World Cup. 3188 races were held in the past 50 years.

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, It all started in 1966 in Portillo (CHI), when a group of visionary friends which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France, Honore Bonnet, and the USA, Bob Beattie, had the idea to create a Tour, gathering different resorts and different disciplines and award a title to the Overall winner. It was soon backed by International Ski Federation president Marc Hodler and became an official FIS event in the spring of 1967 after the FIS Congress at Beirut, Lebanon. On 5th January 1967, the first race was held in Berchtesgaden (Germany) and the World Cup history began.

From Jean-Claude Killy winning the first ever FIS World Cup Overall ranking, to Marcel Hirscher earning five World Cups Overalls in a row, not forgetting Lindsey Vonn chasing down Ingemar Stenmark’s record of most World Cup victories, we are looking forward to go through all these interesting and fascinating facts from the past 50 years.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Horn, a new series from Red Bull TV, follows Air Zermatt, the world’s best aerial search and rescue team, made up of people dedicated to saving the lives of those who take on the Matterhorn.
Episode one of The Horn follows the Pilots on several missions to save tourists on the Matterhorn, one of the most dangerous mountains in the world.
All episodes and other clips of the new serie "The Horn" are now available on RedBull TV.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Vail Resorts today announced that the Company has closed on the acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada. In celebration of closing, Vail Resorts is offering limited access for the 2016-17 winter season with full access to come for the 2017-18 ski season. All 2016-17 Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass holders will receive five days of skiing and snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb this winter season. In addition, Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited season pass holders will enjoy five days of skiing and snowboarding at any of Vail Resorts’ U.S. resorts. The full season pass line-up with Whistler Blackcomb for 2017-18 will be announced when those passes go on sale in March 2017.

"We’re thrilled to officially welcome Whistler Blackcomb to our collection of world-class mountain resorts and to be able to offer our Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass holders five ski days at Whistler Blackcomb for this 2016-17 winter season", said Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. "With more than 200 trails, 8,100 acres of terrain and 16 alpine bowls, Whistler Blackcomb offers Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass holders even greater choices in skiing and riding this winter with the best of North America. We look forward to fully integrating Whistler Blackcomb into our Epic Pass and other season pass products for the 2017-18 winter season and will announce those plans in March 2017".
The five complimentary days of skiing and snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb with the Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass can take place any time during the 2016-17 winter season with the exception of the following restricted holiday dates: Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 26-31, 2016; and Jan. 14 and Feb. 18-19, 2017. The days do not have to be used consecutively.
All 2016-17 Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited Season Pass holders, including the Spirit and Sea to Sky Passes, will receive five complimentary days of skiing and snowboarding at any of Vail Resorts’ U.S. mountain resorts this winter. The five complimentary days at Vail Resorts’ U.S. resorts do not have to be used consecutively and have a handful of restricted holiday dates, including Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 26-31, 2016; and Jan. 14 and Feb. 18-19, 2017. For a limited time, through Oct. 30, Whistler Blackcomb is bringing the Unlimited Pass back on sale at the early bird rate for skiers and snowboarders who want to take advantage of this opportunity.

Vail Resorts is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN).On August 8, 2016, Vail Resorts entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc., which operates North America's largest and most visited mountain resort.

The 2016-2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup season is just around the corner and it looks promising as new World Cup globes will be awarded and new World Champions will be crowned.Next weekend (22-23 October) Sölden (Tirol, Austria) again hosts the ultimate FIS Ski World Cup Races. As every year, the Women's Giant Slalom opens the new World Cup season.

The event will also kick off the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the FIS Ski World Cup. The exclusive presence of Heinrich Messner, winner of the first World Cup race in Berechtesgaden, will be one of the highlights of the races in Sölden.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Next weekend (22-23 October) Sölden (Tirol, Austria) again hosts the ultimate FIS Ski World Cup Races. As every year, the Women's Giant Slalom opens the new World Cup season. The traditional Ladies' and Men's Giant Slalom are confirmed on 22nd and 23rd October on the Rettenbach Glacier
On Saturday the FIS World Cup opens with the Women’s Giant Slalom on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden. The FIS Women's and Men's Alpine Ski World Cup is held for the 21st time in the Tyrolean ski resort.

On 14th October, day of the official snow control, the situation was pretty clear: the conditions for the World Cup Opening in the following week are excellent. "The slope preparation is already so perfect, that we could race this week-end! It's better than it has been in the past 10 years", said FIS Race Director Markus Mayr. Together with Rupert Steger (OeSV), Rainer Gstrein (Chief of Race) and Isidor Grüner (Chief of Course), the decision was easy to make, especially as the snow making system and the snow depot could be completed with some fresh snow. The green light for the ladies race on 22nd and the men's race on 23rd could be given without any doubts.
The event will also kick off the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the FIS Ski World Cup. The exclusive presence of Heinrich Messner, winner of the first World Cup race in Berechtesgaden, will be one of the highlights of the races in Sölden.

Programme:

22.10.2016 Women's Giant Slalom
23.10.2016 Men's Giant Slalom

Starting times:

10:00 am: 1st run
13:00 pm: 2nd run

On Friday the FIS Forum Alpinum – the Information Session for Ski Journalists – will take place in the Freizeit Arena in Sölden. At 6:30 pm, the Krone World Cup Party will be held in the Postplatz square in Sölden village center.

Sölden is a municipality located in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. With tourist bed nights running at over two million per year, the municipality is second only to Vienna as an Austrian tourist destination. The main village of Sölden is located at 1,368 meters above sea level. The highest peak is the Wildspitze which is at 3,768 meters the second highest mountain in Austria after the Grossglockner. Sölden is a very popular ski resort.
The first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race of the year traditionally takes place on the slope located on the Rettenbach glacier, a high-quality icy track with the starting gate situated over 3,000 meters in altitude.
Sölden offers the marvelous BIG 3, Austria's only ski area with 3 mountains higher than 3,000 meters which are accessible by lifts or gondolas. From November trough May thanks to the ski area's high-Alpine location (1,350 - 3,250 m) and the modern snowmaking system (covering all slopes lower than 2,200 m) snow is guaranteed in Sölden.

Friday, October 14, 2016

The complete list of finest athletes in the sport of Freeride on the world’s premier competitive freeride tour is now available.

The competition will be even more intense this year as the most promising generation of up-and-coming talent from the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) will showcase their skills against the top riders of the elite tour. The 2017 season will continue the saga of progression in the sport as established riders attempt reinvent their game and retain their throne or face relinquishing it to the next generation of freeriders.

Snowboard Women – Anne-Flore Marxer (SUI/FRA) will once again be hungry for the title of world champion as she presses Elodie Mouthon (FRA) and attempts to recapture the world title. Returning American star Shannan Yates (USA) will have to use her experience to defend against the tenacity of the incoming riders Audrey Hebert (CAN) and Manuela Mandl (AUT).

The Swatch Freeride World Tour (FWT) is the premier big mountain freeskiing and snowboarding tour in the world, featuring the sport’s top athletes competing in the world’s best mountain resorts. Created in 2008, the FWT became even more global in 2012 following the union of North American-based Freeskiing World Tour, The North Face Masters of Snowboarding, and the European-based Swatch Freeride World Tour. Besides the successful implementation of this truly global FWT, the increase of Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) and Junior Freeride Tour events in recent years shows that the base of the sport is growing exponentially.
The FWT represents top-level big mountain riding, the most progressive and pure discipline of skiing and snowboarding. Riders use the entire mountain as their canvas, from cliffs, cornices and chutes to powder fields and trees. FWT events have invitation-only athlete rosters but the full FWQ series allows athletes to compete in 1 to 4-star level events and qualify for the FWT the following season. All FWT competition venues are handpicked for their terrain, as well as their steepness, and offer a wide range of options to those competing.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Freeride World Tour Management Company announced the first ever international freeride competition on the Asian continent. This inaugural Japanese event for the Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) is scheduled for January 2017. Situated high in the so-called renowned "Japanese Alps", the competition will take place in Hakuba, Nagano in an area reputed for spectacular terrain, abundant snow and optimal early season conditions.This prestigious Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) 4* event is the first step in the development of freeride activities in Japan, a country strong of over 100 years of skiing culture. With the increasing popularity of the sport in Japan and talented young athletes looking for professionalized events and a gateway to worldwide recognition, this expansion into the country opens door to the possibility of seeing one day a Japanese Freeride World Tour (FWT) World Champion.National and international competitors will have a chance to qualify for the 4* event through an open FWQ 2* event to be held on the 11th of January in a more accessible venue in Hakuba.Considered a groundbreaking moment for the sport of freeride, these events were made possible thanks to the intense collaboration work between the FWT Management, Tourism Commission of Hakuba Village and MasterCard. "Partnering with Hakuba, Japan is one of the most important milestones in Freeride World Tour history. Hakuba proposes an incredible playful terrain with fantastic snow conditions, over a century of winter-sports culture, and a unique, very fine hospitality. Freeride Hakuba 4* 2017, first ever freeride competition in Asia, is a first step in freeride development in Japan, and I am convinced many more to follow" said Nicolas Hale-Woods, FWT Management SA Group CEO.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Vail Resorts, Inc. has reported net income of $149.8 million, or $4.01 per diluted share compared to $114.8 million, or $3.07 per diluted share, in the prior fiscal year. Total net revenue increased $201.4 million, or 14.4%, to $1,601.3 million.

Commenting on the Company's fiscal 2016 results, Rob Katz, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We achieved another year of record-breaking results with significant growth across our business. We are very pleased to complete the year with Resort Reported EBITDA of $452.6 million, which included $1.4 million of transaction expenses related to the pending Whistler Blackcomb acquisition. Our results were driven by the strength of our network and excellent results across all of our resort locations. Our season pass program continued to drive both growth and stability with season pass revenue increasing 21.5% compared to the prior year, including a full season of Perisher season pass revenue in fiscal 2016. We experienced another outstanding year in Colorado with visitation and guest spending outperforming last year's results. In Park City, we met our very high expectations following our capital transformation last summer that combined Park City and Canyons into the largest mountain resort in the U.S. Tahoe results rebounded strongly as favorable weather conditions helped to reactivate visitation in the region. We officially launched Epic Discovery at Vail and Heavenly this summer, driving significant increases in visitation and revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year. Our summer business will continue to grow as we further build out activities at Vail and Heavenly and officially launch Epic Discovery at Breckenridgenext summer. Finally, we continue to execute our strategy with a focus on disciplined cost management which played a critical part in achieving Resort EBITDA Margin for the year of 28.7%, a 300 basis point expansion compared to fiscal 2015, excluding the non-cash gain on the Park City litigation settlement in fiscal 2015".
Katz added, "With a strong high-end U.S. consumer, we are continuing to leverage our growing network of resorts and sophisticated marketing strategies to drive higher visitation and yields across our Mountain segment. For fiscal 2016, total Mountain net revenue increased 18.2% to $1.3 billion. Total skier visits, including a full year of Perisher results, increased 18.5%, while total U.S. skier visits increased 13.2%. Total Effective Ticket Price ("ETP") increased 3.5%, driven by season pass and lift ticket price increases across our resorts, partially offset by higher visitation per pass. Our ancillary businesses also experienced growth with ski school, dining and retail/rental revenue, up 13.5%, 19.8% and 10.0%, respectively, compared to the prior year".

Mountain Segment

Total skier visits for fiscal 2016 increased to approximately 10.0 million, an increase of 18.5% compared to the prior fiscal year.

U.S. ETP, excluding season pass holders, increased $8.49, or 9.8%, compared to the prior fiscal year.

Mountain net revenue was $1,304.6 million for fiscal 2016, an increase of 18.2% compared to the prior fiscal year.

Mountain Reported EBITDA for fiscal 2016 increased $96.7 million, or 29.5%, to $424.4 million, excluding the non-cash gain on the Park City litigation settlement in the prior fiscal year.

Mountain Reported EBITDA includes $13.4 million and $11.8 million of stock-based compensation expense for fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, respectively.

Resort - Combination of Mountain and Lodging Segments

Resort net revenue was $1,579.2 million for fiscal 2016, an increase of 16.2%, compared to the prior fiscal year.

Resort Reported EBITDA increased 29.5% to $452.6 million for fiscal 2016, excluding the $16.4 million non-cash gain on the Park City litigation settlement in the prior fiscal year.

Resort EBITDA Margin was 28.7% in fiscal 2016, an increase of 300 basis points from the prior fiscal year, excluding the $16.4 million non-cash gain on the Park City litigation settlement in the prior fiscal year.

Commenting on season pass sales, Katz said, "We are extremely pleased with our season pass sales to date. Through September 18, 2016, U.S. ski season pass sales increased approximately 24% in units and 29% in sales dollars, compared to the prior year period ended September 20, 2015. Our growth continues to be driven by our increasingly sophisticated and targeted marketing efforts to move destination guests into our season pass products, with this segment representing over half of this year's growth. As always, we do expect our season pass growth rates to decline through the end of our selling season, given that some of the increase is driven by our efforts to encourage guests to purchase their passes earlier in the year. Last year at this point in the year, we had sold approximately 60% of our season passes for the upcoming ski season, though we believe that figure may be higher this year, given the aforementioned efforts to move purchases earlier in the selling cycle".

Vail Resorts is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN).

On August 8, 2016, Vail Resorts entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc., which operates North America's largest and most visited mountain resort. We are pleased to report that the Canadian Competition Bureau has issued a no-action letter for the transaction and we continue to expect that the deal will close this fall pending Whistler Blackcomb shareholder and remaining Canadian regulatory approvals. The Company intends to share additional detail on its expectations from the Whistler Blackcomb acquisition during its December earnings conference call.

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Personal Details

Raul Revuelta is an internationally recognized public speaker, author, professor and tourism consultant.
"I hold a Doctorate in Geography and History from Madrid’s Complutense University together with a Master in Human Resources, specialized in Quality Management. In recent years my career and teaching and research work has centered around two areas: on the one hand, the integration of the principles of quality and sustainability in tourism, and on the other, sports and adventure tourism, with a special focus on the management of ski and mountain resorts.
I spend my spare time enjoying mountains and nature in general, but my biggest passion by far is skiing".